Tag Archives: funny

Have you ever known – absolutely known, to the bottom of your toes – that you were capable of works of genius and phenomenal talent, if only you had the tools necessary? That’s how Zoe feels. She is positive that she is an eleven-year-old piano prodigy – now if only she had a piano to prove, it she would be famous. Instead, her house-bound father accidentally orders her an organ. Zoe is less than thrilled with the organ, a further symptom of the unfairness of life, in which her workaholic mother forgets her birthday, her best friend has abandoned her and the only other kid at school to pay any attention to her is Wheeler, an angry and lonely boy more likely to punch someone in the stomach than return a smile, and her father has panic attacks if he leaves the house.

The story is quick, moving along at a fast pace that is helped by short chapters. The characters are quirky without being outrageous, and the overall tone of the book is quite funny, while still managing to be touching at times. Our Mother/Daughter Book Club recently read this book together, and the feedback was very positive. Both the mothers and daughters enjoyed reading it, and thought that it was both humorous and true-to-life. I would recommend this book to girls who like music, funny realistic fiction, weird families, and fans of Hilary McKay.